widow makers

“A recent ice storm here got me to thinkin about what to do if I got caught by one and had to camp under those trees... all those ice covered tree limbs falling every few minutes kinda got my attention.

so....assuming there isn't a clearing or other escape, any ideas on how to make a bad situation a little safer?”

“Pray real hard.

Seriously, try to find a tree that has very little in the way of dead branches. Hunker down close to the trunk on the theory (untested I admit) that the branches that will fall will fall farther from the center.

Pray real hard.

On a late November trip, I heard trees falling on a windy night with a front moving through. That was a sobering thought. I invoked the law of averages and escaped unharmed. Had a macabre laugh the next morning.”

“Last time I was at Dolly Sods, I was sitting with my back against a tree when I heard a loud crack from above, I jumped up and moved fast only to have a large branch fall to the ground about 6 feet from where I was sitting. That baby would've done some damage!”

“i used geobeet's untested theory once. i hiked in on a nice day that turned nasty. it was dark, i was sore and tired, and found myself in the middle of a hardwood forest that had been infested with gypsy moths. not good. spent the night at the base of a large tree that looked fairly healthy. there weren't any evergreen type trees to hide under. snow and ice all night, tree branches could be heard crashing to the ground. i did not encounter any that i would have even remotely considered a close call but it was an extrememly restless night for me. i cut my trip a day short and hiked out to the car the next morning. the old adage, misery loves company, is true for sure. this was one of my loneliest solo trips ever.”

“I had a tree fall on my tent spot minutes after I had taken the tent down and vacated the spot. It was an old aspen.

I like to put my tent in an open spot if possible. If not, I check for likely missiles from above.”

“I had a tree branch fall on my tent once. The biggest part of the branch was about as big as my fore arm. Lucky for me I was in a free standing tent and when it hit the poles it just kinda sprang it back off. I don't think I slept much that night after that.”

“Last January at Linville Gorge (North Carolina) G00SE and I got caught in an ice storm. The weather report gave about 50/50 odds that it would either change to ice or stay rain. We were gambling that it would stay rain but just in case, we pitched the tent under a grouping of smaller trees and brush with a fairly thick intertwining of branches. That way, if we did have any braches come down on us in the night the brush would break or slow their fall. It went untested. We did wake up to about a half an inch of ice on everything and while there were branches down around us, there were none down over the tent. Maybe it did work and that's why there were branches around us and not on us. Hope this helps.”

“sounds like the safest bet would be to find a cave and pass myself off as a cub ;}

I guess hanging my hammock and pretending it aint happening wont work. From what i saw the other day hugging a tree should work if their are pines and such around as the branches seem to slide away from the center guided by the lower branches.”

“never really thought about it before..........



Ten again when I go hiking with Walkindude I let him do all the worrying and I do all the sleeping, huh WD”

“Pathman offered the best advice so far. Look up into the tree. If there are dead branches, find another spot. That covers the most likely possibilities, but in an ice storm, what looks like a perfectly healthy branch could be weakened just enough to come down from the sheer weight. There really is no guarantee.”

“No kidding I check for dead or damaged branches in trees!

Just be careful.”

“coming from someone who's handle is treebait?!

oh yeah I'll follow you under the tree.”

“Yep! It's a tailor-made Treebait Thread, LOL

Just be observant, folks! Like I WASN'T one time... Just as we were packing up one morning, I glanced up and saw a dead-hang about a foot in diameter 25-30 ft above where the tent had been.

I always look now.

Closer to the trunk makes sense, I s'pose, but there are certainly no guarantees.”

“You could stay home and die the victim of road rage or somebody looking for drug money. It's a dangerous world.

I slipped on wet rocks and broke my leg on my last trip. Life is taking silly little risks. Most of the time we get away with it, sometimes we don't.

Like Red Skelton said, "Nobody gets out of this world alive."

Better to die having lived than cowering in a corner afraid of any one of a million little risks.”

“Road rage is preventable.

Is seems that Rock Rage is inevitable though, Mr Beet.”

“Rock rage was also preventable in this case. Coulda walked around them. Duh! Live and learn.”

“A friend of mine had a rock fall from very high above and land between him and his son, from his story it was a miss by a few feet. Said he heard it whistling on the way down. Near Valentine Lake in the Winds one trip we heard rock fall on a granite cliff, but by the time you hear it, its over. Another friends claims to have seen, from a distance, a major rock slide, one that took mature pines down. I have'nt given much thought to trees, but the other danger-rocks, is a good reminder that geology happens.”

“for all of you who have thwarted dissasters...you are protected by magical charms. The forces of the Dark Lord are everywhere and they attempt to cause harm to those of us who are good. Stay vigiliant...the storm is approaching. Choose your hiking companions carefully for they may aid you in your defense and assist you in warding off the Dark Arts.”

“John Ashcroft conjuring up evil spirits again?”

“but I shall keep my eyes towards him...thank you for the information.”

“Oogie Boogie”

“thats a childs spell...easily blocked.”

“He's always after me lucky charms!”

“walkindude must have a titaium tent. gotta get me one of them.
i wear football gear in my tent.”

“lepracuans...they are powerful magical folk and can aid in the fight against Voldemort.”